Holiday Safety Tips for your Pets

“When I was a kid in Indiana, we thought it would be fun to get a turkey a year ahead of time and feed it and so on for the following Thanksgiving. But by the time Thanksgiving came around, we sort of thought of the turkey as a pet, so we ate the dog. Only kidding. It was the cat!” ~ David Letterman

I know most pet owners have heard a thousand times about how the holidays can be stressful for your luv’d pets. The Seattle local KOMO News provides this pictorial of some of the temptations that await our muttlies. I’ve borrowed just this one for this post.

Here are some tips from SPCA to keep pets out of harms way around the holiday season:

Turkey Threat – It’s hard to resist those puppy dog eyes looking up at you as you sit-down to Thanksgiving dinner. This is a moment when the entire family is together and because you are happy, you want your pet to be happy as well. One piece of turkey won’t hurt as you toss it down to Rover only to see it gobbled up faster than you can say Happy Thanksgiving. Beware! Any turkey that is raw or even slightly undercooked may contain salmonella bacteria.

A King’s Feast – A little bit of properly cooked turkey here, some vegetables there along with a taste of pumpkin pie won’t hurt your pet but feed them in moderation. The old cliché ‘Too Much of a Good Thing’ applies here. Pets are often perpetually hungry and over feeding them can lead to problems such as an upset stomach, diarrhea and even more harmful health problems. Over indulging your pet can cause the more serious pancreatitis which is an inflamed pancreas.

Sage Advice – Sage can be the one ingredient that can make or break your stuffing but it’s also the spice that can cause a very unpleasant holiday for your pet should they eat some of it in a holiday side dish. Sage along with other herbs contains essential oils and resins that can lead to gastrointestinal problems as well as attack your dogs’ central nervous system causing depression should they eat enough of it. Cats are also very sensitive to some of these same oils found in various herbs such as sage.

Bread Dough Danger – Homemade bread is tasty and its aroma mixed with the smell of the turkey can make the Thanksgiving holiday even more memorable. Be careful because if your pet gets a hold and eats raw bread dough it can have serious repercussions. According to ASPCA, your pets’ body heat will cause the raw dough to rise in his/her stomach. The expansion of the dough will cause vomiting, abdominal pain and bloating which will require an immediate trip to the 24 hour pet emergency hospital.

Working Hard – Veterinarians recommend that owners keep their pets on a regular diet around the holidays. One way of keeping close to this advice is distracting your animal with a toy. Try lining the inside of a new or their favorite toy with gravy or a piece of turkey. This trick will keep your pet entertained for a long time as they attempt to maneuver their little treat from the toy.

They Can’t Have Their Cake And Eat It Too – If you’re whipping up something tasty for dessert be careful because most batter contains raw eggs which again could contain salmonella bacteria.

Here’s hoping your Thanksgiving is filled with those you luv, be it family, friends, or pets.